railtec-models

Hopefully the handful of links I posted to some of the most common offerings for ready-made numbers will save you this hassle. There are all sorts of options - ready-made BR steam loco numbers, diesels, electrics, DMUs/EMUs, non/passenger stock, wagons and custom plain text.

Hi Pete, thanks for the post. I'm really up against it not least with developing some new product and a bunch of Making Tracks projects but I'll offer as much as I can just now. Temperature of tap water - it's always going to be a personal choice but I use warm purely because I'm impatient and I find it separates the transfer faster, and I'm eager to crack on with the 101 jobs I have ahead of me that day. Foreign substances on the model - this could be absolutely anything that people have used to prep / paint the model. The use of original T-cut is certainly a popular choice to remove previous numbers and typically leaves a good surface for a transfer. But people may have residues from all sorts of other chemicals on there. The easiest way around not having to line up individual numbers - which at 2mm scale I can imagine must be hellish - is to opt for one of the ready-made offerings on the web site. A couple of examples: 2mm-9990 ready-made steam loco numbers / numbers for most BR green diesels https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=3231 2mm-9991 ready-made std 6" loco numbers, eg BR blue, Railfreight, ScotRail etc https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=3142 2mm-9965 ready-made coach or wagon numbers (nothing shaded), suits BR maroon, green, etc https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=4189 2mm-9971 custom text, std typeface, max scale 6" height https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=8064 The above can be quite versatile and save a lot of modellers a lot of fiddly hassle.

I should imagine if there were little or no adhesive on the back of the product then Railtec wouldn't have survived past the first year. If this has been your own personal experience here then there can be several possible factors. If the product is left too long in whatever solution is used to separate the transfer from the backing (even water) then that will dissolve the adhesive. If the model has been prepared with whatever concoction of foreign substances prior to transfer application then that can greatly determine the extent to which the transfer will adhere - or not. If the product hasn't been stored optimally then that will also contribute. As for a bet that PW has never tried using them himself, why not ask him. He's at all the Making Tracks events and the NEC shows and is always most approachable. But I've personally been sat next to him on multiple occasions when he's been using them. He might model in 7mm scale but some of the transfers are still smaller than 2mm scale loco numbers. He seems to manage. More recently I've been up there with all the Making Tracks modellers, many of whom use the product too. The layout and the product will be on display again during the whole of August at Chester Cathedral. If it helps, there's a wealth of how-to and expertise on using the product across multiple threads right here on RMWeb with some breathtaking results. Threads by the James Makins, Mick Bryans and Jim Scotts of this world offer brilliant insight.

Do you have a link to a photo which shows the specific variant you need?

Not a problem. Happy to help decent people with their modelling. Life's too short to be lining up individual digits!

Very simple. If it's literally just ready-made numbers you need: 4mm-9990 https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=3186

No. Whilst multi-layered rivets are do-able (I've tested some) - what you're showing me there is 3 different layers of profile with quite a unique design, which would take a disproportionate amount of R&D. What I DO have the resource to knock out very easily is conventional single profile rivets, so long as someone is able to tell me exactly what head diam and exactly what spacing between centres, assuming there's not something already in the vast catalog: https://www.railtec-transfers.com/rivets.php

I believe I still have it. Will reply there.

I can make these any head diam with any spacing you like, any colour and any pitch. One of the many (many, many) numerous tasks on my to-do list is to write a new page on the web site which lists out all the rivet packs ordered by head space and/or diameter. At present, they're listed out by scale, here: https://www.railtec-transfers.com/rivets.php But, it's one of those topics where the scale is (for the most part) largely irrelevant. If you click on the 1:16 scale you'll see that you can get packs where the spacings are over 6mm for example. Does this help or do you need them greater than that?

I have a few recently-made new packs to upload onto the web site. They'll appear shortly.

& @KNP Hiya both - please could you re-send? It transpires there are a number of messages not reached me over the past weeks/months and similarly some of my outbounds not reaching their destination, despite nothing being indicated to the contrary in my email client. What I do know is that my inbox is constantly teetering either side of above the permitted limit (it does have some leeway above the advertised limit) on account of constantly receiving large attachments day/night, and it's not uncommon that I have to take out 2 or 3 hours just to clear down particularly heavy attachments just so the inbox can continue to - allegedly - function as normal. I apologise for that.

Not true. They adhere to brass, factory plastic and much more. If they didn't then my inbox would be lighting up for all the wrong reasons! Here's a good example: @Philou if you're using Railtec ready-made strips of 3d rivets then the concept is pretty straight-forward, though I appreciate if you haven't done this kind of thing for 55 years as you say then it may not be immediately intuitive. All you need to do is: 1. Cut off the desired length and place roughly in situ (still on its backing) on whatever it's going on. 2. Gradually apply plain tap water until it starts to show signs of releasing from its backing. I just use plain Derbyshire tap water though in my experience of having lived in your part of the world, the stuff that comes out of your taps will likely be infinitely purer than what we get here. If you flood it or let it soak in water for too long then, like any transfer, it will start to dissolve the adhesive. 3. Carefully manouevre one end of the strip off the end of the backing paper so that it's where you intend it to go, then, still holding it in place, gradually remove the backing paper. It's a bit like the table cloth trick but without the drum roll. This should give you a ready-made row of perfectly spaced crisp 3d rivets in literally seconds, without any filing or other such labourious task.

Oh go on then. Here you go; just released. I decided to put the AWS sunflowers on there too. 4mm-1212 https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=11358 Great to see so many familiar faces at the NEC this weekend. So much for having today off...

Oops! Don't know why I had TT on the brain. Compounded brain fog developing more packs as well as prepping for the NEC next weekend. Edited accordingly. 3mm catalog currently at 2334 items. Hopefully something for (almost) everyone.

I also did the full scale hand painted numbers on the real thing in that photo! DRS wanted the original thing replicating, albeit they weren't going to try to replicate hand painting the numbers as they were in the 80s so approached me to see if I could do them as vinyls. They were sat on top of my wardrobe for a good while before they were needed at the RTC, and of course I very happily delivered them in person so as to get a "tour". Well, who wouldn't. It's fascinating to watch the 3mm story evolve.